Music Interaction" is the term for interaction design within the domain of music. In areas such as music, the ability to engage effectively in certain activities tends to be restricted to those who have acquired detailed knowledge of domain-specific theories, terminologies, concepts or processes. It can be challenging to design or enhance user interfaces for software able to support novices in these kinds of musical activities. One promising approach to this challenge involves translating musicians' implicit domain knowledge into patterns known as conceptual metaphors, which are metaphorical extensions of recurring patterns of embodied experience applied to abstract domains, and using this information to inform interaction designs for music. This approach has been applied experimentally with some success to designing user interfaces. However, to the best of our knowledge, this present work is the first to consider in detail the use of Conceptual Metaphor Theory as a key component of a participatory design process. In this chapter we present a participatory ap-2 proach to Music Interaction design based on the principles of Conceptual Metaphor Theory. We posit that such an approach will facilitate the development of innovative and intuitive interaction designs for both novices and experts alike.
An open challenge for interaction designers is to find ways of designing software to enhance the ability of novices to perform tasks that normally require specialized domain expertise. This challenge is particularly demanding in areas such as music analysis, where complex, abstract, domain-specific concepts and notations occur. One promising theoretical foundation for this work involves the identification of conceptual metaphors and image schemas, found by analyzing discourse. This kind of analysis has already been applied, with some success, both to musical concepts and, separately, to user interface design. The present work appears to be the first to combine these hitherto distinct bodies of research, with the aim of devising a general method for improving user interfaces for music. Some areas where this may require extensions to existing method are noted. This paper presents the results of an exploratory evaluation of Harmony Space, a tool for playing, analysing and learning about harmony. The evaluation uses conceptual metaphors and image schemas elicited from the dialogues of experienced musicians discussing the harmonic progressions in a piece of music. Examples of where the user interface supports the conceptual metaphors, and where support could be improved, are discussed. The potential use of audio output to support conceptual metaphors and image schemas is considered.
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